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Number One in Italy, in Europe and in the world

My first Juventus season coincides with the turning point in the society. April, 1994 was the end of the Boniperti era and the beginning of the Triade period, the arrival to the society Roberto Bettega and a bit later Antonio Giraudo and Luciano Moggi. The new team was born, based on the one left by Boniperti. Coach Trappatoni was replaced by Lippi. I was permanently moved to the main team, and started playing as fourth forward after Roberto Baggio, Gianluca Vialli and Fabrizio Ravanelli. I knew I had to fight to conquer this place, but the previous championship gave me a lot of confidence and I was able to play as well as the others. The game system was 4-3-3 and I exploited at most the oppotunity when Baggio remained out because of injury. At the end of the season I was proud of 29 presences and 8 goals scored in Championship, plus one in UEFA Cup and one in Italian Cup. But what really counted was that we were winning and winning. And since that time we have never stopped, despite (a lot of) ups and (some) downs. That was an extraordinary group, that has become a Team – I want to stress out the capital letter – match after match, overcoming difficulty after difficulty. The crazy year, charged with exciting moments, but also with the worst of tragedies: the death of our team mate Andrea Fortunato.
We came to the end of the year, having won it all, the only prize we left to Parma was the UEFA Cup. After nine years break Juventus was back to win the scudetto, my first title won. We also managed to win the Italian Cup against Parma, our opponent of the season. I felt like flying: the 3-2 goal against Fiorentina, the one against Lazio at the Olimpic Stadium, another one against Napoli. Compliments, the first contracts with sponsors, full attention, interviews.. In one of my first interviews I said: “Everything what is happening now, seems to be exaggerated, but I like it”. Yes, I liked it… And because of that I couldn’t have stopped there. At the end of the season, Baggio left and Juventus aimed at me. My only pity is that I couldn’t have played with him a bit more, but I never agreed with those who said that me and him didn’t go along. For me Baggio has always been the example to follow, the great champion. That’s why it was a real honor for me to take his place and his number on the shirt.
In the 95-96 season the only dream for us and for our fans was to win the Champion League. This dream came true on the 22nd of May, 2006 in Rome, in one of those nights, that seems to be unique and never to be repeated in one’s life, because it’s impossible to be happier. But fortunately, I lifted up also others Cups. The way to get to Rome wasn’t less extraodinary than the final, both for me and for the team, with those goals “alla Del Piero”. For the first time I played the final wearing the shirt with my name printed on it. Fortunately I arrived at the right moment, “10-Del Piero” has become mine and nothing can change that anymore. The only time I take it off is to put on the shirt of National team. The first time I was summoned to the National team, with Sacchi on the bench, was during my retreat in Borghesiana with Under 21. On the 25th of March, 1995 I debuted in National team in Salerno against Estonia. In that season i also played, wearing the shirt of azzurini of Maldini and for National military team, as in between one match and the other I was also serving Naja in Naples. I remember that one newspaper calculated that during that period of time I did around 40.000 kilometers form south to north of Italy. And not only. I got ot Tokyo. In 96/97 season the team changed Vialli and Ravanelli left and in their place arrived Zidane, Boksic and Amoruso. What did never changed was our desire to win. We became the Champions of the world, wearing black and white shirt, that had long sleeves and no sponsor logo on it, like Platini’s Juve. I scored the victory goal: I left Tokyo with the Best on the pitch Cup and with the car, supplied by sponsor. It didn’t fit on the plane… But the Cup did, that one we brought home: taking into consideration the other two Super Cups Italian and European, we had pocketed Big Slam.
Unfortunately we didn’t manage to win Champions: in Munich against Borussia full of our ex team mates we lost the match, that if played other ten times we would never lose. I couldn’t be comforted by the great back heel goal at the beginning of second half, and not even by the second scudetto of my palmares. The same story happened a year later, without Vieri, but with Inzaghi in his place: Italian Champions for the third time in four years, defeated in the final of Champions, but this time by Real Madrid. I scored 29 goals, my personal record. I reached my first World Championship in France, worn off by tough season and by sprain I earned in Amsterdam final. Italy was eliminated in the last 16 by France of my team mates Zidane and Deschamps. Having lived through a fantastic year I expected the better final, but as at European Championship in 1996 in England we didn’t manage to come to the end. To get to the top of the world, wearing National team shirt I would have waited some years more.